Excess of Eden
by CelestialCatflap
Summary: The Doctor and Rose holiday on an alternate earth. Chapter four is up.
1. Chapter 1

The hammock swung gently in the warm breeze. The Doctor lay, eyes closed and arms crossed in its cradle. The sound of the nearby lake with it's slow lazy waves moving with the air caught his attention. He raised himself on his elbows and gazed at it. In the dappled light that reached her body he could just make out Rose, her figure distorted by the rippling water as she glided below its surface. He exhaled and rested in the hammock once more. She was safe here, he was reasonably certain of that. It wouldn't last, but the assurance of it settled his spirit in ways he couldn't begin to explain, even to himself. The sound of the water breaking as she surfaced reached his ears, he smiled. Safe, the word was like a beacon, and he felt himself begin to drift off.

"It's like heaven," she called out and his eyes snapped open "this is earth?"

He closed his eyes once more. "Sort of," he answered slowly "but it's more a revamped earth... earth 2.0" he grinned.

She tread water and gazed into the blue green sky. "Where's the sun?"

"The what?"

"The sun, you can't tell me this is earth if there's no sun."

"It's there, it's just diffused by the radiation shield." He pointed upward.

Rose followed the direction with her eyes. In the distance a yellow pink spot hung fuzzily over the horizon. She looked at it quietly for a moment, then the silence was broken by the growling of her stomach. What time was it anyway, she thought. It was difficult to keep track in the TARDIS. They could only have been here a couple of hours, but was that a sunrise or a sunset? If the light was diffused it could be either. Her stomach growled again insisting it was sunrise and breakfast was in order.

She swam for the shore. As she left the water she began to examine the small net that hung from her hip. She'd found mostly small shells, nothing special, but the stone was something else. She fished into the net and pulled it out carefully. Gasping, she held it out at arms length, it was glowing. Under the water it simply looked like it was reflecting the sunlight. Now in her own element she could clearly see it emanating light. She walked toward the hammock. "Doctor what it this thing?"

He sat up quickly. "Drop it Rose, drop it now!" She drew back her hand as though it had been slapped. The rough sphere dropped heavily into the sand. He stood up and walked to the object, his eyes narrowed as he examined it. The light began to pulse faintly as he approached, and he broke out in a broad grin. "Oh, it's nothing" he laughed, relief evident in his voice. "just a piece of Earth junk, a radiation detector, probably to test the effectiveness of the shield in this area..." he paused as Rose knelt to retrieve the sphere "look its not even working properly."

Rose turned the object in her hand, its quartz-like surface glittered with the pulsing light. "How can you tell?"

"It's indicating an increase in UV radiation" he turned to look at her "you getting a burn?"

She smiled sweetly "no."

"Then it's junk... keep it."

She shot him an incredulous glance "it's not yours to give."

"It's going to be replaced anyway, keep it." He gazed at her attire as she replaced the sphere in the mesh bag. "I've never understood why humans insist on covering up to swim, it's not as if that bathing suit will keep you warm."

"What?" Rose smiled "Am I just supposed to swim naked?" She watched him carefully to gauge his reaction.

He didn't even blink, but shrugged and shifted his gaze to the to the rising sun. "You can do what you like, I was just saying."

"Well I'd like to get some breakfast, any chance?"

"I think there's an open market that way..." he pointed east, then thought about it a bit and pointed north instead "that way" he repeated.

"My hero" she teased. He gave her a goofy grin and put out an arm for her to take. Threading her arm through his, they walked north up the sandy path.

Ti began putting down the tellescreen on his desk, closing it with a satisfying snap. The office was winding down and its occupants were already getting ready to leave. He turned to Polly as she sat preening herself on her perch. Holopets were not allowed as a rule, but today was not an inspection day and nearly everyone in the office had one. He smiled and switched her off. She faded from existence with an angry squawk He was never quite sure why he had chosen a parrot, in real life they scared the hell out of him.

He was turning to leave when he nearly ran into Jenna. "Whoa, I'm sorry, where are you off to so quickly anyway?" he paused as he gazed into her panic stricken face. Her red hair hung in a tousled heap from her head and a deepening bruise decorated her left eye. "What the hell happened?" He glanced up as other workers from fifth level began to press reluctantly into the room, each in a similar state of disarray. Behind them three hooded men followed with photon pistols, herding his coworkers into third level.

"Shield resistance." Jenna whispered to him softly.

"What, those nutters who want the shield down because they think all's well and the levels are safe?" She nodded. "But they've never done anything like this" he stammered.

"There will be silence!" one of the men shouted as the last of the workers entered the area.

From behind him a man dressed entirely in black came forward, he carried no weapon and stood a foot taller than his beige clad companions. He pulled the hood back from his head. Raven black hair tumbled out of the hood as his dark eyes examined the crowd. "This is the place," she said simply "the one we seek is here." He moved towards the crowd and they shrunk at his approach. "One of you will finish this" he said softly, and then he began to recite: "To go into the dark with a light, is to know the light. To know the dark, go dark..." he spread his arms outward, palms up and waited for a response.

The crowd stared at him in fearful expectation

"Will no one answer?" He scanned them solemnly, his eyes unreadable. Seconds ticked by.

"Very well," he responded he turned to his men "select one of them for the test, I don't care which."

One of the men lowered his pistol and grabbed hold of Ti's shoulder. "What is this?" he screamed as he was pulled from the group "What are you going do to me?" He struggled violently until he felt a cool blade sink into his skin just below his shoulder. "No!" he started to scream once more but a hand clamped over his mouth. The blood pooled silently into his shirt. Ti realized through his terror that the flow was slow, not the regular pulse of a severed artery. The man who held him knew what he was doing and he didn't want him dead. At least not yet.

The man in black began again. "To go into the dark with a light, is to know the light. To know the dark,

go dark..."

"...go without sight," a voice whispered in response "and find that dark, too blooms and sings and is traveled

by dark feet, and dark wings."

He strode toward the source of the voice, a small red haired woman with downcast eyes. The crowd began to draw away from her as he approached, but she remained still.

"I am Meridian," he said in a comforting tone "and you are?"

"Jenna" she replied, her voice breaking.

"Which camp did your grandparents come from?"

She glanced up at him briefly and lowered her eyes again. "I don't know what you mean."

"Again!" Meridian called to his men. The blade was raised to Ti's throat. Then suddenly a metallic hum filled the air and the knife was wrenched from the attacker's grasp. It lurched to the center of the room and hung unsteadily on a shifting air current as the hum continued. Meridian examined the girl, her eyes closed in a concentrated effort. He gently clasped her shoulder and her eyes opened, the humming ceased, and the blade clattered to the office floor.

"Is that the first time you've ever done that?" he asked her.

"No" she said softly. She glanced up at Ti's face, which was now a mask of awe and disgust. Her shoulders sank and her head lowered once more.

Meridian stepped forward "You've nothing to fear from him," he said softly "he's not of our kind, and unworthy of being your judge." He lifted her chin so that she faced him. With his face now revealed and so close to hers, she could see a strange grayness, a faint silver hue in his pale skin.

"What are you?" she asked with a shudder.

"What am I?" he smiled "I'm like you..." he reached forward and gently cupped her cheek in his other hand. Her fear drained from her instantly, and a new sensation took it's place. She could sense it... she was no longer alone, no longer the pretender hiding her true self from the world. She was suddenly whole. "I gather my children together," he whispered "each of them gives me a gift..." he released her and strode to where Ti was still held. "and I give them gifts in return." With a slow steady motion, he waved his hand over Ti's shoulder. The circle of blood in his shirt began to disappear, slowly fading from the outside in. Ti's eyes began to roll back in his head, but when the blood had vanished he regained his composure. The man holding him stepped back. Ti raised a shaking hand to his shoulder.

"It's gone" he gasped.

Meridian turned back to the girl. "Which camp?" he insisted.

"Red camp" she said softly "Sector R1."


	2. Chapter 2

The market was an intoxicating blend of smells and colours. Small booths lined either side of the crumbling roadway. Sellers called out their wares while children laughed and chased one another in the carless street. At first Rose felt she might be out of place in swimwear, but the residents seemed to wear almost as little as she did and were quite at ease. She relaxed into the flow of the marketplace as she walked slowly by the Doctors side.

"That's not food you know."

"What this?" She smiled as she held up the candyfloss. "I said I was hungry, this was the first thing I saw." She offered him a piece.

His brows raised "No thanks, I think I'd rather have real food."

Rose sighed "When you're right you're right." She tossed the half eaten confection into a nearby bin. She looked up and down the line of booths. Just beyond them she could see a row of houses, seemingly abandoned, their windows boarded, their paint chipping away in the sun.

"Where are all the people?" She asked suddenly. "And cars... other than the people selling there's no one here."

"Oh yeah," the Doctor smiled slightly "this earth reached world energy peak about 150 years ago. It pretty much sounded the death knell for suburbia." He pointed at the boarded up houses. "Not much point living at point A and working at point B if you don't have the petrol to get there."

"This earth?" she said. The Doctor gave her a sideways glance. He suddenly seemed to Rose like a child who'd been caught at something. "You mean this isn't earth..." she looked up at the sky "at least not my earth," then her eyes dropped down and locked unto his "is it?" She gave him an accusing smile.

"Well, I guess you could call it is a side-step in time" he replied.

"I see," she looked around her once more "and just how different is it... how many degrees of separation?"

"Difficult to say," he gazed upward at the hazy sky "I've only been here once before, seemed tame enough. Only one focal point of difference from your earth really."

She joined him in gazing at the cloudless sky curious as to what he found so fascinating. "And what is that, the difference?"

"You're looking at it."

"The shield?"

"Yup," he said brightly "a protective barrier giving the earth time to heal after over 200 years of industrial progress."

"And is it healing... I mean how long until it comes down?"

"Who knows, so much of Earth's economy is tied into that shield. It may have been redundant years ago, but you know humans..." he turned to look at her "so resistant to change."

Rose ignored the teasing "You mean everyone's just... used to it?

"Hmm" the Doctor nodded "Most of the people live in the cities now, the shield makes them feel safe. Not to mention the number of people who make their living from it... shield maintenance, culture impact studies..."

"I get it" Rose interrupted "status quo." She rolled her eyes in the direction of the sellers "What about them?"

"Oh there's a few brave souls eking out an existence, growing their own food outside the city, selling their wares."

"Speaking of which." she nodded toward a nearby booth from which an enticing aroma was emanating. They crossed the street.

Jenna watched the couple from the dark alleyway. She knew what she had to do, it was simply the mechanics of it that she had to work out. The blond girl leaned lazily against a food booth while her tall male companion bargained with the peddler. Meridian had given her so much. He had allowed her to touch minds with others of her kind... and there were so many. She knew now that she would never again be alone. Ti and the others, they where the past. Still, she regretted it ending the way it did. The look on Ti's face when she was revealed still hurt. At least he wouldn't remember her being taken. None of them would, Meridian and the others had seen to that.

The blond fiddled with the mesh bag on her hip. Jenna's eyes widened as she saw her draw a small sphere from it and hold it up to her eyes. It pulsed steadily lighting the young woman's fingertips to a translucent pink. That was the sign Meridian said to look for. Jenna had been asked to prove herself, and she wanted to. This was her chance to give back to her new family, but she'd have to wait until the girl was alone. She would never be able to deal with both of them. Stepping out of the shadows, she moved into the noisy street, all the while keeping an eye on the couple.


	3. Chapter 3

A beige clad figure moved silently over the sand, past the restless gray horses toward his master. Meridian stood by the water's edge watching it's surface move in the light breeze.

"This is the area where the augment was detected" the man in beige said when he reached Meridians side, "but there's no sign of the sphere."

"I am aware of the discrepancy." Meridian continued to gaze at the water. "I've sent our latest recruit to handle it."

"Is that wise? She's only recently joined us."

"We grow in power with our numbers." Meridian replied "She has made contact with us, she knows what's at stake." He raised his eyes heavenward. "When we began converting the shield sensors there was no way of knowing just how fast we would grow in number. Now we are a legion of chosen ones, and when the time comes we will ascend from this miserable planet, it will be only a memory in the collective mind."

"I see it too," the man responded "will it be much longer?"

Meridian closed his eyes. "Not long now."

Rose sat on the kurb and let her back relax into a gentle slump. The Doctor had stepped away to ask a merchant four booths down about the price of cow's milk. It seemed to Rose an unlikely venture in this area, but then again she'd already been surprised by the fact that they'd had candyfloss, and as the Doctor had said the people here were very resourceful. She stretched out her legs and examined her sandals. "Wonder if anyone here does a good pedicure" she muttered. She reached forward to brush some remaining sand from her toes when she felt an awkward hand brush clumsily against her head.

"Hey!" Rose jumped.

"Oh, sorry miss."

Rose looked up to see a young red haired woman standing beside her.

"I don't supposed you can help me" the young woman began, her eyes never looking at Rose as she spoke but focusing down the street instead." ...I'm looking for a house, about two streets down from here I think..." her eyes wandered aimlessly "I seem to have gotten myself lost."

Quickly realizing that the girl was blind, Rose stood and took her arm. "Have you been through this area before?"

"I'm somewhat familiar with it yes, but with today being a market day I seem to have gotten myself turned around."

Rose glanced over at the Doctor. He was absorbed in a rather one-sided conversation he was having with a very confused merchant. "One minute ok, I can help, but I've got to let my friend know where I'm going..."

"Oh please," the girl looked panicked "could you help me now? I was supposed to meet someone there twenty minutes ago."

Rose looked back at the girl. Her desperation seemed genuine enough. She glanced back at the Doctor once more. It seemed like whatever point he was trying to make he was going to be at it for some time. "All right, I can take you now. Two streets down you said?"

"Yes I believe so. Thank you. Thank you so much."

"What's your name?"

"Jenna."

Rose nodded and took the girl's arm once again. "All right..." she said as they began to move forward "there's a kurb here" and slowly they moved past the rows of booths and down the street.

The Doctor had abandoned his search for milk and began scanning a booth littered with chromothiographs. "Oh I can't believe they're trying to bring these back. Rose!" he called out to her "Come and have a look at this." He waited for the sound of her footsteps, but they never came. He looked to where he had last seen her sitting.

Gone.

He exhaled deeply, nodded to the salesman behind the booth, and began to walk down the line of abandoned houses, looking for a sign of his companion.


	4. Chapter 4

"It's a blue house." Jenna said quietly "Number 206, it should be around here somewhere."

Rose carefully guided the young woman through the abandoned streets. It seemed to her that they where heading back toward the lake. "I'm surprised anyone still lives here." Rose said. She found herself trying to slow the steady pace of the determined girl, "Are you sure this is the right area? We've passed more than two streets."

"Yes... yes I'm sure of where I am now" Jenna began to move faster.

"Well if you're sure then I should be going," Rose released the girl's arm "my friend will be looking for me by now."

"You can't leave!" Jenna turned quickly and locked eyes with Rose. "I've got to take you back with me."

Rose shook her head and stepped back in uncertainty "You're not blind" she said blandly. But the realization of it had no impact on her. She felt no fear, only a strange willingness to follow this girl. The muscles in her legs went slack as though they awaited an order from her bewildered mind. An order that had somehow been lost and was now unimportant.

"Come with me please!" Jenna insisted "You belong with us... you'll see."

"With... you?" she muttered.

"Rose!"

Rose jumped at the Doctor's voice. She turned to see him standing at the end of the street, a mixture of curiosity and confusion on his face.

"No!" Jenna cried out. She quickly stepped in front of Rose and once more looked into her eyes. Rose shook her head as the strange numbness began to fill it again

"Leave me alone" Rose whispered, then more forcefully... "get out of my head!" She brushed past Jenna only to freeze as she came face to face with a man dressed in beige."

"No time" the man stated, a man who had seemingly stepped from thin air.

"Rose!" the Doctor called out again. This time the panic in his voice was quite plain. Before she could turn to look for him, the man placed a hand on her bare shoulder. "No time... you come with us now" he stated plainly.

And she was moving, running alongside them. Behind her she could hear the Doctor's footfalls, hear him calling out to her, but she could do nothing to stop the pounding of her sandaled feet on the crumbling pavement. Eventually the houses disappeared, the pavement fell behind them and once more she felt the press of sand beneath her feet. In the distance she could see the water, and as they drew closer she could smell it. Inside her mind she screamed as the Doctor's voice grew more distant. She was helpless and she hated it, a prisoner in her own skull.

Finally they slowed to a stop as they approached a figure in black and two horses that startled slightly at their approach.

"I failed you!" Jenna cried.

"No child," the man in black answered "the gift failed. These things fade with time, but you are with us once more." He turned to look at Rose, who's eyes darted quickly to each of the three strangers but was still unable to move. "I am Meridian. Do not be afraid, we will not harm you." He reached forward and took her hand in his. His eyes widened suddenly and he released it. He looked at Jenna. "She's not the one."

"But the sphere," Jenna protested "you said..." she pointed to the mesh bag on Rose's hip. There the sphere sat, snugly settled in it's nest of shells, and emitting a steady and unwavering light.

Meridian nodded. "There was another with her" it was a statement.

"Yes," the man in beige responded "he follows us now."

"Then all is not lost," Meridian took her hand once more, "release her."

Suddenly Rose could feel her legs, instinctively she pulled back but Meridian's grip was like iron. With a fierce motion she lifted her free hand and delivered a stinging slap across his face.

Meridian winced slightly but seemed otherwise unphased. With a sad smile he pulled her forward and raised her shaking hand toward the nearest horse. He pressed her hand to horse's neck. "A gift for you outsider, though I doubt you'll know how to appreciate it."

Rose blinked, her eyes focused on the stretch of land along the water. She wanted to run once more, but this time was different. It seemed she'd been waiting ages to run, awaiting a signal to move. Her body was long, her legs already trembling in anticipation of the exertion. Rose ran her hand through the horses mane and realized with shock that she was seeing through it's eyes.

Around her the others began to move. Jenna and the man in beige mounted the other horse, and Meridian mounded the one standing beside her. As if in a dream she felt him lift her gently unto the horses back. Rose's eyes glazed over, she ran both her hands down the horses neck. Then a voice. It was the Doctor calling out to her once more. It seemed so far away.

"He's found us!" cried Jenna

Meridian let out a high whistle. That was the signal, that was what Rose had been waiting for. The horses began to run, but it was she herself that was running. Strong legs pounding into the sand as they sped forward.

"Rose!"

A distant cry from so far away. But she couldn't let this feeling go. Not now. She closed her eyes to block out the conflicting information and wrapped her arms around the beasts neck. Freedom, strength, power. A small smile curved her lips. Looking only through the eyes of the creature beneath her, she ran, and it was glorious.

The Doctor slowed his stride as the horses grew smaller in the distance. There was no way he could catch up to them now. His face turned to stone. The man that took Rose had appeared out of no where, and why didn't she struggle or cry out? For some reason it cut him more deeply than if she had. What kind of power could those people have over her if Rose, his Rose, couldn't fight back?

"The TARDIS."

He could find her from there. He turned and started west when he spotted a young boy staring at him. The boy was hiding at the edge of the sand, peeking out from among the low trees and scraggly shrubs that dotted the landscape.

"You!" The Doctor called out to him. "How long have you been there!"

The boy jumped and scrambled from the bushes. He ran clumsily over the sand. The Doctor sprinted forward and easily closed the distance between them. Grabbing the boy's arm he turned him to face him. The boy shrieked and began tearing at the arm of the Doctor's leather jacket.

"Do you know where they've gone?"

"I can't tell you anything!" the boy whimpered. "You don't know what they'll do to me if I do!"

"You don't know what I'll do to you if you don't!"

The boy stopped struggling, but continued to breathe hard. He looked up at the him with fearful eyes but said nothing.

The Doctor examined the boy. He was shabbily dressed, his face smeared with dirt, and from the smell of him he clearly hadn't had a bath in ages. A small drawstring sack hung from the boy's neck. The Doctor pulled the bag forward with his free hand and peered at the contents. A few coins, an earring, and part of an old watch. "Did you find these today?" he asked calmly "Do you come here everyday?"

The boy relaxed. He seemed calmer now that the questions were about him.

"Most days," he shrugged "people drop things, it's hard to find things that get lost in the sand."

"And those people, the ones you saw take the girl with them, do they come through here often?"

The boy's face paled noticeably despite the grime concealing it.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the Doctor said as he released they boy's arm "but I have to know where they've taken her."

The boy said nothing for a moment, he simply stared at his shoes, Then quietly... "She's a friend?"

"Yes," the Doctor said, relieved the the boy did not run away again "a very good friend."

The boy shuddered slightly and looked up at him "All right" he said slowly "but only 'cause I've lost friends too." He shifted his gaze to the far side of the lake "The truth is I don't know, I stay away from augments, but there's a woman who lives down there, she knows... and she keeps her mouth shut about it too." The ducked sideways and quickly dashed beyond the Doctor's reach. "If you're smart that's what you'll do!" he called back as he ran toward the forests edge.

The Doctor made a move to follow him, then stopped. "What's an augment?" he called out after him, but the boy continued running.

With a look of determination the Doctor turned and gazed across the smooth water of the lake.

"Well, she'll talk to me."


End file.
